Winner of 2014 edition of TV3’s Ghana’s Most Beautiful, Baciara Abigail Benti popularly called Baci has called for a concerted effort at fighting the prevalence of Child Marriage in Ghana.
According to her, although non-governmental agencies and the government is trying its best to ensure that the situation is arrested, she believes that it is time traditional leaders, religious leaders and all other stakeholders come on board to fight the menace.
“There have been so many campaigns to help solve this issue but still we see that it is still existent in our communities. I think that it is time we stand together and fight this. You and I know that this menace is still in existence so we still have to fight this menace across Ghana. It is totally not acceptable.”
She noted that the role of all stakeholders is imperative in the fight against child marriage, which has a multifaceted cause and needs more hands and ideas on deck to address.
The beauty queen noted that reasons given by parents for giving their young girls out for marriage such as poverty, teenage pregnancy, the need for finance to support the education of the male child and cultural believes are disheartening. She however believes that effective communication can play key roles in putting child marriage to rest since most reasons given for the practice are hinged on ignorance.
Though Baci, who was speaking to Azongo Albert on A1 Radio’s Daybreak Upper East show, Wednesday, acknowledged that culture as the way of life of a group of people should be respected, she believes that it should be reviewed or scrapped if it infringes on the rights of a section of the citizenry.
Baci, is on a regional tour dubbed ‘End Child Marriage’ as the campaign ambassador which is sponsored by Action Aid to educate parents, traditional leaders, religious leaders and the girl child.
The nationwide campaign which is going to run till 2018 is being rolled out in three phases including education of communities, sensitizing and training the girl child to become assertive and confident to be able to resist child marriage and working with Ministry of Gender and Social Protection to streamline the legal provisions and make them tight such that perpetrators are brought to book.
By: Offei-Akoto Ayeh | A1RADIOONLINE.com | GHANA
